SAT vs. ACT
Related Pages: Advice about the SAT & ACT ... SAT & ACT Preparation Classes & Tutors
Archived Q&A and Reviews
- SAT vs ACT -- great kid, immigrant family
- ACT vs current SAT vs new SAT
- Can an SAT tutor also tutor the ACT?
- Advantage of taking SAT over ACT?
SAT vs ACT -- great kid, immigrant family
Feb 2016
the summer. Since her home language is not English, I think she's at a disadvantage. I'd like to make sure she has support.
My junior's school recommends taking both if you can, but I think it is ok to just take the SAT. Your friend should definitely take the optional essay portion of the test as well. Have her check out the College Board site for advice, and to sign up: https://www.collegeboard.org/ The College Board administers the SAT and other standardized tests, and has some free practice tests available. Better test prep, also free, can be found at the Khan Academy site: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat Good luck! aimee
This is a strong recommendation to any parent of a high schooler. It is what I wish I had done. Ask around at the high school, public libraries, YMCA etc. for places where the student can take the *practice* ACT and practice SAT for free, usually on a Sat. Then see which test the student does better in. Do test prep in that test only and forget about the other one. The tests are designed for different kinds of minds and many students do a lot better in one of them vs. the other. (There is no solid way to predict, despite the fact that many people will tell you that they can predict which one is better for your student.) Colleges accept the SAT and ACT scores equally. My student had learning challenges and the scores were widely divergent. This approach would have saved us both time and money. If you can help the non-English speaking parents, that will be a great favor to them. The forms can seem complicated. The other approach is to take both tests ASAP, see which has a better score, do test prep for the one with the better result and take the test again senior year. But that solution is not free. You only have to submit the scores you want to hand in. You sound like a very good friend. Best of luck to the student. ~former BHS parent
Have her take both tests on her own (i.e. not ''on the books'') and see which she scores better on. (Google ''SAT-ACT concordance tables'' to compare scores.) Whichever one she does better on: take that one officially. Students routinely express a preference for one test over the other, but it doesn't correlate with the thing that actually matters: which they do better on. Colleges accept either. Wes
I have some ideas. There are test prep places (such as Ames in Lafayette) that administer free sample SAT and ACT tests on site. The student would be able to take the free test and see which they did better on and then decide which one to take officially. The test prep center can also review the test and recommend any kind of tutoring or test prep that would be individually suited to the student. However you do not have to pay for any of the extra services if you don't want them. That being said, there is a new SAT test now and some places are recommending that kids take the ACT since the new SAT will probably have glitches. I think I also heard that if you take the SAT in the fall the results may not be ready in time for seniors who are applying for college. I'd check that. There may still be time to take ACT in the spring. Subject tests and AP tests are often taken in the spring while the subject is still fresh in the students' mind. Ames also has free information nights that help with timelines etc. There must be places in the east bay that do the same. There may also be a college center at Oakland tech that has counselors you can meet with individually. I hope this helps. Anonymous
Most students take the SAT/ACT once in the spring of their junior year and once in the fall of their senior year. Most students taking the SAT take the PSAT beforehand. The SAT is more about aptitude and less about how much the student has learned. Both tests can be coached for and you can buy prep books for both. In Berkeley the YMCA teen program has various college readiness/info events for first gen students and the college counselors work closely with the first gens. You might want to encourage the student and her parents to investigate what's possible at Oakland Tech. https://scholarmatch.org/ is in San Francisco, but also helps East Bay kids. anon
If the student is at Oakland Tech, have him/her check with their counselor -- OTHS is planning to administer the SAT to *all* juniors, DURING SCHOOL HOURS, and free of cost. Perhaps s/he can get try the SAT at that time. FWIW, there are MANY colleges where applications are ''test optional'', b/c it is understood that many kids simply do not test well, so the tests are only one indicator. My student (now college freshman) did not do well on the SAT, but did reasonably well (but not great) on the ACT -- they are very different tests. There are free on-line tests that they can take, to see which one works better for them. Tests are only one measure of the student
The student should go to their high school counselor for assistance. Fee waivers for both the ACT and SAT are available from the high school counselor if the student meets the fee waiver criteria. Some colleges - like the UCs - consider the highest test scores from a single exam administration and lower test scores are not considered. It is possible to use ''Score Choice'' and just send scores from some test dates (UC wants students to report all scores though). If the student can get exam fee waivers, they may want to take the exam this June and again in the fall. Testing this spring would let the student get used to the exam and know what to study for over the summer. The high school counselor can also advise about taking the ACT over the SAT. Anon
The Lafayette Academy (in Lafayette) will administer both tests (on different days) under real test conditions ( 8 AM, same break times etc). They will grade the tests and give a detailed breakdown of the student's performance. The Lafayette Academy does not charge for this service. Once you see how you have performed on each of these tests, the student will be in a better position to figure out his/her preference. My kid did not take a commercial prep course. She studied with just the ACT book-- which costs less than $20. She did really well. If the student is disciplined, in conjunction with the prep book and Khan Academy (free, online prep) it could be done. Chris
ACT vs current SAT vs new SAT
June 2015
My daughter is wrapping up her sophomore year. She is the class that seems to be most affected by the switch over to the new SAT. Her school's college counselor advised her to just take the ACT. The other options were to a) prep this summer and take the current SAT in the fall, and thus be prepped for PSAT given at school, which helps determine National Merit eligibility; or b) prep during the school year for the new SAT in the spring, with fall as a back up for retaking it if she wants or needs to up her score.
I'm so mixed up. My husband and I took the SAT, my son took the SAT, so that's always been the go-to for us. Does it matter at all to schools? What you doing about this switch over in the SAT?
If she focuses on the ACT, will that prep transfer over to the PSAT in any meaningful way? She's a straight-A student, so the National Merit thing is a consideration for us. Confused
I work in a university admissions office and am very familiar with these changes.
The new PSAT will begin this October - there are no ''old'' PSAT administrations in the future: https://www.collegeboard.org/delivering-opportunity/redesigned-psat-nmsqt
So if she is taking it for National Merit qualifying this fall, she needs to prep for the new format and questions.
Starting in June she can find full PSAT sample exams at Kahn Academy for free. That is the best place to prepare w/o spending any money. For now there are a few sample questions on the College Board website: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sample-questions
If she practices for the new PSAT this fall, it makes sense to take the new SAT in the spring or summer of 2016, since she already has the PSAT experience. There is nothing wrong with also taking the ACT, and many universities see applications with both sets of scores. But it will require different practice ahead of time.
The new SAT will be aligned with Common Core standards for reading and math, so the new questions and format should look familiar if her high school follows a Common Core curriculum. Admissions support
Did your daughter do well on the PSAT last fall? If so then she might want to take the current SAT. The last time the current SAT will be given is January 2016, so keep that in mind wrt prep time. I have a daughter who will be a junior next year also, so we've been looking at her options. Her school's college counselors are recommending that most juniors take the ACT because there's not enough known about the new SAT. However they do recommend taking the current SAT if you did well on the PSAT as a sophomore. Then you have it out of the way and can focus on other things later in junior year, like any AP exams for example. I don't know if prepping for the ACT will transfer over to the new PSAT, but it might since the SAT redesign is supposed to be making it more like the ACT in format. J
If a score of SAT 1800+ / ACT 27+ is likely, then I recommend giving Bodsat Prep (i.e. us) a call at 800.291.4661. This is the very sort of question we are delighted to help untangle, as the amount of misinformation we're seeing is huge. (I mention the score range because that's where our expertise lies, and I fear that outside that range our advice may be less targetted, or even just plain wrong.)
A few brief points:
* Some students are better at the SAT, some better at the ACT, and for some it doesn't matter. This can be determined beforehand.
* Generally speaking, it's in the interests of prep companies for everyone to prep for and take the ACT (only) this year, and that message has spread into the parent and advisor networks quite thoroughly. To be more clear: that's the answer that causes advisors least trouble, but is not the advice that best serves all students.
* The schools don't care which you take.
* National Merit doesn't matter nearly as much as it did a few decades ago.
* All else equal, almost all students prefer the ACT at first glance. This does not mean that it's the test on which their final score will be best. All best, Wes
You are correct to assume that the arrival of the new SAT is confusing, at best. We know that the College Board is trying to mimic the ACT, but we do not know exactly what the new SAT will look like when it takes over point blank in March 2016. I am recommending that my students, who are Sophomores, take the ACT with Writing and not the SAT.
Many colleges, including the UCs, Yale and other elite colleges, now require students to submit all test scores. Hence, I do not recommend students taking either the ACT or the SAT in the fall, or until they have command of the material they will be tested on. The ACT does not require expensive test prep because it actually tests students' command of subject matter in math, science, history and English, as well as writing. There are no points deducted for wrong answers on the ACT.
The only weird thing about the ACT is that the Writing section must be paid for separately, but it is given at the same time as the rest of the test and required by all colleges. The ACT's Test InformationRelease costs extra, and is only offered in April, June and December. With TIR, ACT will send home the actual booklet that the student as tested on, along with a print out of answers (no need to pay for a copy of her answer sheet unless she smudges) so that the students can figure out what they did not know and use this to prepare for the next test.
The reason why I am recommending the ACT is because we know what it is and that is a fair test. The College Board is trying to mimic the ACT because the ACT now has a bigger market share than the SAT. The preliminary information indicates that the new SAT will look a lot like the ACT, but there is no way to prepare for a test that has no pre-administered tests.
The PSAT is a good practice test for students with the standardized testing format. However, in my 15+ years of experience as a college counselor, the PSAT is not relevant directly to the SAT results. It is extraordinarily difficult for students in California to qualify for a NMSQ scholarship, even if they are in the 99th percentile on the PSAT. Therefore, I do not recommend that parents pay for expensive specialized PSAT prep or that students spend time studying for the PSAT. As an educator, I prefer to see students work on the ACT where they can review their incorrect answers and use the test to improve their knowledge base. Wendy
A few thoughts that should be helpful –
College Board is launching a new PSAT in Oct 2015, aligned with the new SAT. So your daughter could prep for the new SAT to get ready for PSAT.
All colleges accept both tests. The SAT has historically been more popular in the West, but ACT is prevalent in many other parts of the country. Colleges regard them both equally. Also, to my knowledge no college has indicated that they won’t accept the old SAT for the class of 2017. So in other words, college preference doesn’t need to be a factor in the decision.
Most students don’t prep for the PSAT. It’s meant to gauge which areas should be studied in preparation for the real SAT, so studying would defeat the purpose. And chances of seeing much money from National Merit is quite slim, so I wouldn’t recommend having this as your primary guide in making the decision.
However, higher scores on the real test (ACT/SAT) WILL translate into $$ once she applies, in the form of merit scholarships from the colleges (this is actually the largest source of financial aid for college). Most colleges use institutional money to attract the best and brightest, so those with higher grades and scores get better offers.
All this being said, the MOST important thing ultimately is that your daughter picks the test that plays to her strengths, where she’s most likely to score the highest! If she’s going to put time and effort into prepping, I think it’s worth first putting time into figuring out which test she’ll do better on. Some students do equally well on either test, while others do significantly better on one.
Test prep companies offer diagnostic tests that analyze strengths and determine which test they are more likely to do better on. A local company I love is this one: www.bodsat.com They’re offering their next diagnostic on June 17 in SF.
There are also full-length practice tests online or in the prep books, as long as you are willing to take the time and analyze your own scores. If you take a practice test for the new SAT, use the one by Kahn Academy-they are partnering with CB to design their materials.
My understanding is that prep for the ACT may transfer over to the NEW PSAT. College Board designed the new tests to be more aligned with high school curriculum (part of the big push towards Common Core), and ACT has always been aligned with high school curriculum. So it’s possible, but you may want to check with someone who specialized in test prep.
It’s a complicated decision! Again, I think what’s most important is taking time to figure out which test plays to her strengths, then putting a lot of effort into prepping for that one. Good luck! Nicole
Jan 2015
Last October, my sophomore took an ACT/SAT diagnostic test offered in her school(in conjunction with Princeton Reviews) to figure out which of these tests suits her better. She did well in both segments but particularly well in the ACT. I was relieved as I hoped she could bypass the SAT all together and just focus on the ACT which she would take in the spring of junior year.
Then my daughter found out that many of her friends were taking the PSAT (as a trial test) and decided to try it herself. She took it with no prep (except a good night's sleep and a protein breakfast) and got 210. Her school counselor told her that score was excellent for a sophomore and would have qualified her for National Merit in several states (not Ca
So now my daughter wants to take the PSAT/SAT combination this fall. She wants to try for National Merit. I'm not sure how to proceed, whether I should sign her up for SAT prep this summer . Under our original ACT only plan, I was planning on sending her to a prep class only next spring.
Also, if I do sign her up for a SAT prep class will she need the whole course? She scored in the 99% in reading and writing and 93% in math.
If she studies for the old SAT, will she need to re-study a new format if she has to take the new SAT next year? (assuming she doesn't do well and has to retake the test)?
Ideally, I would prefer her to do nothing but enjoy her summer. I want her to savor her last few summers at home hanging out with her friends at the pool and also reading to her heart's content.
I'm trying to decide whether to support her ambition to try for National Merit (and prep during summer) or encourage her to chill by pointing out that once she becomes an adult it is very unlikely she will have an entire summer to enjoy.
(She has lots of volunteer hours, leadership activities already so I feel she has earned a lazy summer) Advocating lazy summers
My advice here, as with so many things, is relax. To my mind, your daughter is in a great position. Her class gets to choose the best score among three tests, not just two. And she is a good test taker. So why sign her up for a prep class at all? Let her enjoy her summer, don't ratchet up the pressure and have her take tests cold. Believe it or not, in this crazy world of competitive parenting, there is no rule that a kid must do test prep. Kids can do great without it, especially if they test well as your daughter clearly does. Have her sign up for the SAT question of the day on the College Board website. If she is motivated, she can do one question a day and by the time the test comes around, she'll be very familiar with all the kinds of questions they ask. Sign her up for December SAT, a spring ACT, and whatever new SAT date there is. Before the December old SAT, she can get a book and do a couple of time practice tests in the week or two before. See how she does. If she does great, she's done. Hooray! If she doesn't, lather rinse repeat with each test. If she still doesn't have a score she is happy to use, then she can consider retaking and doing test prep on the test she is most comfortable with.
My son was like your daughter -- good test-taker, good PSATs (202 sophomore year, 218 junior year), motivated to do well. He did exactly the above -- did the question of the day for months before, did a couple of timed practice SATs out of a used book he got from a senior, ate a good high-protein breakfast and took the SAT. Got 2360 and was done. No need to take the ACT. Cost us nothing. Cost him nothing. He's now a happy college sophomore. Mom of Big Guys
Your daughter's score is excellent for a sophomore and she has a good chance of scoring within range as a national merit semi-finalist with her junior year scores. I recommend that she not take a class since much of it would be what she already knows. You should consider hiring a tutor who specializes in working with high performing students. When the scores get high like hers, it becomes more challenging to bring the score up. There are people who are specially trained in test strategy who could help her where she most needs it. My son's junior year score was raised by 19 points, with only 2 tutoring sessions. My son prefers to take the ACT, but feels that what he learned in the PSAT tutoring is transferrable. Since he did receive a score on his PSAT that puts him in the semi-final range, he may also have to take the SAT in the fall of his senior year to become a finalist. Ames Seminars in Lafayette is one place that does this, but there must be others in Oakland and Berkeley. Anon
Good for you for encouraging your daughter to have a life, rather than get caught up in College Admissions Frenzy. As a test tutor and admissions adviser, I encourage families to take admissions seriously, but not to let it dominate or distort their lives. There are many paths to a great education.
That said, your daughter has decided to take on a reasonable challenge, at her own initiative, and if I were in your shoes, I'd support her. But if she's planning on taking an ACT course, she does not have to pile an SAT prep course on top of that. If your daughter works her way through all or part of the blue College Board SAT test book between now and next October, she'll be well prepared for the PSAT, And all that prep will also carry over to her ACT test - the two tests are more alike than they are dissimilar. If she's gung ho to take an SAT prep course, too, there's probably nothing wrong with that, if you have the funds and it doesn't stress her out. But personally, I'd recommend, ''Blue book, self-study, at your leisure over the next eight months.''
Regarding the new vs old SAT - again, prep for one will carry over to the other. Your daughter should review the new format when it becomes available, and practice some problems so as to be comfortable with them, but that's probably enough.
Given your daughter's percentiles, she's probably going to include some ''reach'' schools on her list, and in today's competitive environment getting the best possible score can indeed matter at the high end. This is not to say the scores have any predictive value. They don't. But they are a hoop most college applicants must jump through, so it makes sense to jump your best.
If you simultaneously support her and encourage a low-stress attitude, you'll be doing everything a parent can.
Good luck! Percy
Can an SAT tutor also tutor the ACT?
Jan 2015
My daughter has decided that she wants to take the ACTs instead of the SATs. I am looking for a tutor in the Oakland area. If one is a good SAT tutor, are they also a good ACT tutor or are there enough differences between the tests that I should be looking for someone that specializes more in the ACT? She does have the prep book and will be starting with that but has not actually taken the test yet.
I regularly recommend the ACT over the SAT because of the less tricky language used in the questions, and because there's no penalty for guessing, which takes out one layer of strategy for kids. I find that many students also respond well to how each section (Math/Science/Reading/Writing) is tested only once. The SAT, in contrast, jumps around with multiple sections, which can throw some kids.
In general, an experienced SAT tutor will do just fine for tutoring the ACT, so long as they put some independent work in. The one big difference is the science section, which has no real analogue in the SAT, as it is a kind of synthesis of reading and math sections, i.e. reading for information and interpreting tables and graphs. Someone experienced in the ACT specifically is preferable, and with so many tutors available these days I don't think there's reason to settle for anything less.
K the tutor
Advantage of taking SAT over ACT?
August 2008
Hello, I would like suggestions for a good route to go for SAT prep. I am trying to support my daughter in having the least stress as possible in her junior year of High School. She attends Berkeley High. Also, if anyone knows the advantage of taking SAT over ACT? Thanks very much Judy
The common wisdom is that the SAT requires you to be good at taking tests and the ACT tests mostly what you know. I'm sure that's way too general, but I'm not certain there's any way to know which test you'd do better at without actually taking them. My daughter who graduated from BHS last year did her SAT prep with the online College Board training, only. No private tutors. She liked it because it was self-paced, meaning she could do it whenever she had time, and had lots and lots of practice tests. I liked it because it was cheap (about $70, I think). She took the SAT only once and did well enough to not feel she needed to take it again. A few weeks after taking the SAT, she took the ACT, without any extra preparation and got a spectacularly high score. If we'd known ahead of time that she'd do so well on the ACT, she could have skipped the SAT, but as I said, I don't think you can really predict. By the way, because a lot of schools require both the SAT or ACT and some SAT II tests, if your child takes the ACT and wants to send the scores to colleges, you have double the scores to send (which is what we did) and you can't just send the SAT II scores. All SAT scores go. College Mom
The SAT and the ACT are equally recognized by college admissions committees these days. Some students, however, do consistently better on one test than the other. The best strategy is to take practice tests of each one to determine which test is better suited to the particular student and then to prepare for that test. Aspire Education Project is a nonprofit that does academic tutoring and test prep for both the SAT and the ACT. We have a strong track record of helping students choose between the tests and improving their scores on whichever test is best for them. Please visit our website for more information www.aspireeducation.org
I would recommend taking both the ACT and the SAT. There is very little downside to this approach (I can explain in detail by email), and your child may simply prefer one over the other. You can be strategic about which scores you send to schools. If you must choose one, go with the SAT. Most schools accept both. The ACT is more common in the midwest and south. The SAT is more common on the east and west coasts. Lots of info on the web too: http://www.act.org/ http://www.collegeboard.com/ Good luck! Andrew
The SAT and ACT are both accepted at most schools across the country, so it is often best to take a practice test to see if either test is better suited to your child's learning style. The ACT has a science section and often appeals to students who have difficulty focusing on tests. Also, because the ACT is considered a ''content-based'' test, there are some schools that waive their SAT Subject test requirements for ACT test takers. Both the College Board and ACT provide free sample tests on their websites